


Road to Self Discovery

by bluebell_glow



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Canonical Character Death, Coming Out, F/M, Isaac is realizing that he's not, Laura is alive, M/M, One sided, Pining, Stiles becomes his guide on the road of self awareness, scott is straight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-28
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-09 19:09:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebell_glow/pseuds/bluebell_glow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isaac feels like he doesn't know who he is anymore. He's got a thing for his best friend. He doesn't know how long he's been into Scott that way, but he is... and he's not sure what that means. He looks to Stiles for guidance and it's Stiles who holds his hand on Isaac's road of self discovery. Along the way they bake, get into some shady situations at a couple of clubs, and discover a thing or two about themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scott, You have a shitty taste in Movies

**Author's Note:**

> Yo. There just needs to be some more Isaac focused fic out there. Thanks for giving this a shot. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Isaac is somewhat unsure when his feelings toward Scott changed. Somewhere between Call of Duty, double dates, and working on school projects Isaac moved from best-bros to something else. Isaac does, however, remember the exact moment he realized that his feelings had already changed.

The four of them— Scott, Allison, Maya, and Isaac— were supposed to meet up to go watch a movie about werewolves that had recently gone to theaters. It was meant to be a double date, Isaac and Maya’s first date. But since Maya and Allison were both on the school’s soccer team and one of their games had been recently moved, their double date had been canceled. Instead, both boys were left behind while their girlfriends went to the opposite end of the state to play a soccer match. 

Scott though, really wanted to see the movie. Since Allison hadn’t really been interested in the movie to begin with he asked Isaac if he was willing to go watch the movie anyways.

“Dude, this movie’s gonna be great,” Isaac’s eyes wandered over his friend’s lips and settled on his dimples, only for a flicker of a moment.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, “Scott, this place is empty. It’s because everyone knows that this movie sucks ass.”

Scott huffed, his eyebrows knitting together and a pout playing on his lips, “Whatever, they just don’t have taste.”

“I don’t blame you, I mean you’ve been watching whatever Stiles has made you sit through since you were kids. You’ve developed a taste for shitty movies.”

Scott beamed at the mention of his friend and wrapped his arm over Isaac’s shoulders and pulled him into the theater. The feeling was not foreign, the warmth and pressure of Scott’s arm, nor was the lingering, light, feeling of his fingers as he pulled away. They were friends, close friends, touch was nothing new to either of them.

Theater number three was dark, empty, and small. With a large bucket of popcorn in one arm and an equally large soft drink in the other, Scott led them towards the very back row of seats to sit in the middle. Isaac’s insides stirred for a bit as he remembered the girls he had taken the back row of the movie theater where they didn’t really watch the movie. On the screen a dark ad narrated by a deep voice told them to be courteous and shut off their phones. As Isaac settled beside him, Scott pulled out his phone. 

“I’m gonna shoot Allison a text.” Isaac could hear his goofy smile in the dark. “and,” he sang, “one to Stiles.”

Isaac took a sip from his soda and leaned back in his seat, “Where is Stiles? He just said he had managed to get an internship.”

“He’s doing some weird research in Kansas. Y’know how he’s always been into all things supernatural, I think it has something to do with that.”

The previews on the screen ended and the movie began and both of them feel into a comfortable silence, the popcorn settled comfortably in between the two of them.

And as it turned out, the movie was just as terrible as Isaac had predicted…and Scott loved it. 

Isaac found it more entertaining to steal glances at the enthralled boy sitting beside him who was watching a basketball-star werewolf struggle with his new found popularity. His eyes drifted back to the screen as his hand dipped into the popcorn. Scott’s hand followed in and in a brief, quick motion, he grabbed Isaac’s hand.

Isaac jumped in his seat as a sharp, prickly, electric feeling shot from his hand to his head and then down to his toes leaving behind a trail of fire. 

 

“You’re not popcorn!” Scott laughed, letting Isaac’s hand drop back into the popcorn. The screen of Scott’s phone lit up and Isaac caught sight of Allison’s name. The burning heat that coursed through Isaac’s body turned into a stinging icy feeling as something in the pit of his stomach twisted. His eyes wandered up to Scott’s face and the bright and warm grin that Isaac recognized as ‘Allison’s smile’ was like an ice pick to his chest. Isaac shattered. His eyes darted back towards the screen, his mind in a panic. He wanted that smile—no, not her smile, but one of his own. 

Isaac wrung his hands and then set them neatly folded into each other on his lap. His left hand was still prickly and warm as if thousands of little ants were crawling inside of it. 

Scott went back to watching the movie, but despite the fact that Isaac’s bright blue eyes were wide and focused on the screen, his mind registered nothing more than a flurry of colors and faces. His mind reeled back to every instance when Scott had touched him. The arm across his shoulders, a hug after scoring a goal, pushing each other to the ground after a heated video game, brief brushes while they walked down the halls together— and Isaac found himself longing for more. 

It was only after the movie was done, and in a dazed state Isaac made it back home to the loft he shared with Derek, and he was sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands sitting on his knees that Isaac stopped to think that he might be gay. 

“Oh god,” 

He doubled over the edge of the bed and fell to his knees. Wheezing for air and clutching his abdomen. His mind flooded with questions; since when? Am I gay? Am I bi? What is everyone going to think? What do I do? Will this go away? Who…who do I talk to? Who can I talk to? Since when?

After a few minutes of recycling questions he had no answers to he began to calm down. He dragged himself back unto the bed, brief flashes of the feeling of Scott’s hand on his pulsing through his body every few minutes. He had finally calmed down long enough while he laid face down on his bed. He was falling asleep when something in his pocket vibrated. He reached for the phone, a defeated groan moaned into the pillow. Isaac’s relief was dragged from beneath his feet when he saw Scott’s name pop up on his screen. 

‘They Won! We’ve got a pair of champion ladies!’

Isaac buried his face in the pillow and let himself scream into it. 

He flipped over to his back and took a deep breath. The setting sun crept into the room through the small window casting odd shadows onto the walls.

He only knew one person who he thought might help. Stiles, who had declared himself bisexual a few months into their senior year of high school, was the only person Isaac thought might be able to help him figure out what it was that was happening to him. Isaac just had to get around the fact that it was Stiles’ best friend who was causing him to question his sexuality.


	2. Caught with the Harlequin

Isaac pushes all thoughts of his identity crisis to the back of his mind until the morning when he’s woken up by the vibrations of his phone’s alarm on his chest. He’s still lying on the bed face up and feeling stiff from having slept in his jeans and jacket.

His eyes, still half-closed, he reached for the phone and silenced it, letting it drop to his side and moved to curl around it, nestling into the warm patch that the morning sun arranged for him. He drifted back into sleep thinking about how he wished he had closed the blinds the night before.

The next time he woke up was because he heard his name being shouted outside the room. Isaac ignored it and curled inward on himself.

“Isaac!” at some point his mind recognizes that it is Derek’s voice, “Isaac, Laura is going to kill you if you are late for work!”

The door swung open Isaac shot up in his bed his phone clutched in between his hands and close to his chest. His eyes widened as he took in Derek’s appearance— nothing but the towel wrapped around his waist, his torso still slightly wet from having stepped out of the shower.  
Derek also took a moment to glance over Isaac, his eyes narrowing in confusion as he took in Isaac’s sleeping attire. “I thought it was just you and Scott last night,”  
As if the pile of summer homework was thrown at him at once, Isaac found himself winded at the sudden memory of what had happened the afternoon before.  
“I was really tired,”  
Derek was already closing the door to his room.

Isaac glanced down at the time on his phone and cursed. It wasn’t until he was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and pulling his shirt over his head that Isaac began to think about Derek. They had been living together for nearly three years and he had seen Derek half naked countless of times, but he had never felt any indication of attraction towards him. He could objectively say that Derek Hale was attractive, no one could really deny that. His personality wasn’t sunshine but the guy looked like he had walked out of a the team locker room and was headed to his movie premiere. 

He shouted back a quick ‘good-bye’ into the loft and closed the door behind him.

Isaac worked at the bookstore a few blocks away from the loft. During the summer he kept regular hours at Triskelion worked the weekends during the school year.

“You’re late Lahey,” Laura Hale owned and managed the bookstore, “Late date last night?” she didn’t look up from the display she was setting up in the window.

“Sorry,” his smile was sheepish but Laura still didn’t look up and instead reached down to pick up a poster and raised it up to the easel. Isaac reached for it as it began to tip backwards and held it in place as Laura sat the board on it and angled it to her liking, “my alarm screwed me over.”

She finally looked up with an eyebrow nicely arched a playful smirk on her lips, “You mean you slept through it because you had a late night?” 

Isaac blushed under her gaze, Laura Hale was gorgeous. Long black hair that cascaded down past her shoulders, olive skin and eyes that were piercing, Half of the guys that came into the book store came to give asking her out on a date a shot. But to Isaac Laura Hale was his surrogate mother, big sister, and mentor wrapped into one. 

“I, uh,” he looked away past her and at the old lady sweeping the sidewalk in front of the yarn shop across the street, “was actually with Scott. Maya and Allison had a game in San Diego.”

“I repeat, Late night with your date?” 

He couldn’t tell if his face drained of all color or turned red to match the apron he was wringing in his hands. A comment, a witty retort like he usually gave, failed to formulate and instead remained tight-lipped as he watched Laura walk away a soft chuckle trailing behind her. She slapped his back and disappeared into the rows of books. 

Triskelion Books came to be after the Hale Fire. Peter Hale being a legal adult at the time inherited and took over Hale Publishing and took both Laura and Derek to New York. Laura graduated from Columbia and tried to work with Peter but found herself not being able to sit in the same room as him. So she packed herself up and moved Hale Publishing’s fantasy and young adult department, Triskelion, back to Beacon Hills where Derek finished his high school education at BHHS. 

Laura thought Beacon Hills was missing a proper bookstore and opened up Triskelion.

Isaac loved Laura as if they shared blood. She had been the one to notice the bruises, the panic in his eyes when he was assigned to work in the tiny storage closet, and the fear that would glaze over his eyes when he failed to do something correctly. She was the first to put the pieces together and the first to do anything about it. 

Derek must have recognized the look of terror on Isaac’s face at the idea of losing the last of his family, because his father hadn’t always been that way, and he was all Isaac had, because Derek almost immediately adopted Isaac as his little brother. Isaac had forgotten what it was like to have someone take care of him. He was wary of Derek at first, afraid of getting attached, trusting too much only to be betrayed again, but the Hale’s refused to let him fall to the system and adopted him as their own, and if Laura’s teasing, and Derek’s overprotective behavior was any indication, Isaac was actually considered family. 

So Isaac stood behind the counter fumbling with the strings on his apron trying to tie it behind him. 

“Need any help?” Erica leaned across the counter with a bright smile.

“I’ve got it, thanks,”  
She walked around the counter and pulled a box from underneath the counter. She cut past the tape and opened the box. Her blond curls fell around her as she pulled out a stack of books, new with sleek black covers a title printed in white and a childish drawing of a moon on the front. Her eyes were focused and pensive and she kept quiet.  
Isaac watched her as she took the books and walked over to the display table beside the posters that Laura had set up and neatly arranged the books in a pyramid. She remained quiet, never making eye contact with Isaac.  
“You are never this quiet.”  
Erica looked up from setting the last book on the pyramid and tilted her head.  
“Erica, what’s wrong?”  
She pursed her lips as if she were debating whether or not to tell Isaac whatever it was that plagued her mind. Isaac felt a twinge of offense at the thought that Erica wondered if she could trust him. Erica was the Stiles to his Scott, they told each other everything and sometimes too much of everything. Well…almost.  
Erica sighed and motioned for him to take the last box of books to her, “Boyd asked me out,”  
Isaac clicked his tongue as he handed Erica a pair of books, “You don’t want to go out with him?” he asked.  
Erica sighed again, a deeper and more annoyed sound than the first, “I don’t know,” she growled, “I mean I think I want to, but,” she drifted off.  
“You’re not still holding out for Stiles are you?” his expression softened.

“Hey, he’s bi not gay.” She poked him in the chest.

Isaac rolled his eyes, “Yeah, but you’ve been carrying that torch for about as long as he’s been pining over Lydia Martin.”

Erica didn’t respond and instead opened up one the books, her fingers skimming over the dedication page. Isaac took a step forward and tucked her hair behind her ears.

“You deserve to be noticed,” he smiled.

She looked up at him and rolled her eyes. He didn’t miss the smile she tried to hide as she walked away from the display and left him to finish himself.

Surprisingly, Isaac’s mind drifted towards Stiles. Scott and Stiles were inseparable. For the most part one couldn’t do anything without the other. Until Allison began to take up more of Scott’s time and then Scott/Isaac time had to be shared with Scott/Stiles time. Isaac and Stiles had never really been fond of each other, and they didn’t really get along. Sitting in the romance section alphabetizing the books he began to wonder if his dislike of Stiles was a reflection on his feelings for Scott and might have an underlying tone of jealousy. He had never really felt threatened by Stiles until after he had come out to everyone about his sexuality.

Isaac, however, never really felt jealousy towards Allison. She was always sweet and nice to Isaac. She was just not someone he thought he could really dislike. They had been partners for an English project their sophomore year when Scott had finally gotten the courage to ask her out on a date. He had been there to watch their relationship blossom and had to sit through Scott’s fluttering descriptions of Allison’s everything up until Stiles snapped and told Scott he was drawing the line.

Scott had described the kisses, the feelings he got when he saw her, held her hand, saw her, heard her— and Isaac found himself staring at the cover of a harlequin novel with a glazed expression as he imagined Scott feeling those things for him. What would it be like to kiss him? Would his lips be soft or would they be rough and dominat? What did it feel like to run his fingers through is hair, to cup his face, to clutch unto his jacket and allow his tongue to slide between them. What would it feel like to have Scott whisper things in his ear about his eyes, and everything he loved about Isaac?

“Isaac, are you okay?” 

His head snapped up, his face bright red to find Laura looking at him quizzically, an elderly woman standing beside her.

“That’s a good one,” the frail with powdery white curls winked.

He looked down at the cover, a tan, dark haired, and muscular man who looked like he had recently showered in baby oil decorated the cover. He fumbled to his feet and randomly pushed the book into the shelf.

“Excuse me,” he said and walked away running his hands through his curls. He was just having an off week.

The rest of the day passed in a daze. Different things would cause his mind to drift back to Scott. Couples, books about animals, textbooks, cardboard, the old lady across the street, everything began to remind him about Scott.

If Isaac wasn’t gay or bi, his orientation at the very least, was Scott. 

It was towards the end of the day when things had been winding down that he cornered Erica at the counter again. She was reading the new book. 

Isaac didn’t know very many people who weren’t straight. He knew Danny and he knew Stiles. On the one hand Danny wasn’t Scott’s best friend and soul brother, on the other Isaac felt more comfortable and knew Stiles well enough. 

The door jingled indicating that someone had arrived. In the background he head Laura greet them. 

“Erica,” Isaac scooted in beside her, “Could I get Stiles’ number from you?”

“Why do you need Stiles’ number?” apparently the person who had arrived had been Derek. 

Erica looked up from the book her eyes narrowed, annoyed at the interruption, “Why don’t you already have it? You guys hang out all the time.”

“I need to ask him something, and We see each other enough that exchanging numbers wasn’t very necessary.” Which was not entirely a lie, they did see each other on a regular basis and neither of them cared enough to exchange numbers.

Beside him, Derek stiffened, his gazed focused on a point on counter as if he were figuring out a puzzle and realizing that he didn’t like the results he was coming up with.

“Why haven’t you asked Scott for the phone number?” Erica’s words were directed at Isaac but her gaze was fixed on Derek.

“He probably assumes that I already have it…and I don’t really want him to know about this. I don’t want to,” Isaac leaned over the counter, “to worry him about anything.” 

Both Erica and Derek looked back towards Isaac, a mixture of curiosity and worry on their faces.

“I’m fine.” He rolled his eyes, “I just want to talk to Stiles about something.”

“And you can’t talk to us about it?” Erica crossed her arms over her chest, a flare of offence in her voice.

“It’s nothing to worry about. I just need to talk to Stiles and then…maybe afterwards, after I get this sorted out, we’ll have something to talk about.”

Isaac’s gaze switched from Erica to Derek for a moment before settling back a point that was neither of them and letting the pink tint spread on his cheeks. 

Derek cleared his throat, “Well, if you need anything, let us know us.”

Isaac nodded and watched him leave. 

He expected Erica to push the subject but instead she pulled out her phone and began to skim her contacts. Without looking up she asked, “Don’t you think that’s a little weird?”  
“What?”

“Derek. He didn’t ask any questions. He always tries to get the information out of you in the moment. You didn’t get the twenty questions this time.”

Isaac shrugged as he took Erica’s phone and pulled out his own. He dialed the number and saved it into his contacts, “Maybe he realized that this wasn’t all that big of a deal?”

Erica was silent for a moment before responding, “Maybe.”

\--

It wasn’t until Isaac was sitting in the passenger’s seat beside Derek that he made a move to send Stiles a text. He typed out a message, read it over, and erased it only to write out another message. The car ride back to the loft was silent except for the low music that came from the radio. Isaac wrote the message out fifteen times by the time they reached the parking lot. He looked up when he heard the silence of the engine. 

“Isaac, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to send a message to Stiles.” Isaac typed out his initial message again.

Derek didn’t say anything for a while but watched Isaac type away, “Oh,” he eventually let out. 

“Yeah, this is a lot tougher than I thought it was going to be.” Mostly because he kept debating whether or not asking for Stiles’ advice on sexual awareness was a good idea. He could always look for a book on the subject at Triskelion but with his luck someone would catch him and everyone would know. On the other hand, Isaac’s main worry was that Stiles would know it was because of Scott he was questioning and would run to his friend to tell him about Isaac. 

Isaac didn’t doubt that Scott would express his support and congratulations, but if Scott knew that Isaac spent the entire day at work fantasizing about things he wanted to do with Scott, ways he wanted to touch him, that would put a strain on their friendship.

“Just be honest. Don’t think about it and send it.” 

Isaac looked up from the phone to Derek. His expression was blank but he gave Isaac a nod of encouragement. “He’ll appreciate that,” his voice softened. 

Derek didn’t wait for Isaac’s thanks before getting out of the car. Isaac quickly hit send on the message he had typed out and followed after Isaac into the loft. 

“I’m gonna go shower,” he groaned once he was through the door. He could already hear Derek in the kitchen getting dinner started. Laura usually joined them for dinner but she’d be packing to head up to New York for a conference. 

Isaac’s phone vibrated as he was walking into the kitchen to steal a peek at whatever Derek was making. 

‘Everything O.K.? I get back in on Monday '

Isaac types out his response, 'Everything is fine. Just wanna talk bout something. Coffee on Monday when you get back?'

Isaac leans over behind Derek who was stirring pasta in a pot with one hand and stirring some tomato sauce in another. 

“I thought you were going to shower?” said Derek.

Isaac set the phone down on the counter beside Derek and threw his hands up into the air and rolled his eyes, “I’m going!” 

Derek mimics him but doesn’t say anything as Isaac leaves to go take his shower. After a moment he can hear the water running in the bathroom. Derek is reaching for the strainer when he hears Isaac’s phone vibrate on the counter beside him. He glances over and his chest clenches when he sees Stiles’ name followed by the message ‘It’s a date.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finals are right around the corner, so this isn't as fleshed out as I wanted it to be. But that was Chapter two. Now that Stiles is coming back into town things are going to pick up!
> 
> Thanks for your support, this has been well received and I thank you so much! I really do suck at the copy edit stuff though and I don't know if the story is coming out clear to you guys...but let me know!
> 
> I am Bluebell-glow.tumblr.com if you guys want to message me through there with suggestions for stuff or you can just comment on here. Whatever works!
> 
> Congrats on making it through the chapter!


	3. We're a nice little family now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isaac is having dirty thoughts and gets adopted into Stiles' family.

By the time Monday came around, Isaac was already falling apart. He actually had no idea what it was that he wanted to ask Stiles or how to go about asking it. Not only that but whenever anyone mentioned Scott, his cool demeanor faltered and he’d be reduced to a fumbling mess. He dropped books, his words slurred, he’d trip, his voice cracked. By the end of every night Isaac wondered if it would be more subtle to just tattoo ‘I’M REALLY INTO SCOTT’ on his face. 

He’d also been avoiding Scott. He volunteered to work through the weekend so that he could have a valid excuse for being busy, and on Sunday when Scott went into Triskelion looking for a book to buy for Allison, Isaac spent the entire time following him at a distance, both curiosity and fear keeping him near. 

 

Derek, who wasn’t the world’s chattiest guy to begin with, barely even said anything at all since spaghetti dinner the other night. 

Laura joined them for steak dinner on Saturday. 

“So, Scott has come in a couple of times looking for you,” 

Isaac’s knife skidded across the plate. If anyone were to figure it out it would be Laura.

“Have you been avoiding him?” she smiled.

“No,” he croaked and concentrated on the food in front of him. 

“hmm,” she stabbed the meat on her plate, “ hiding something from him?”

Isaac reached for the glass of water which shook in his hand. He could just tell them, he could just blurt it out right there at the dinner table. They’d be understanding, he knew they would be. But Isaac wasn’t sure he was ready to say something he wasn’t sure about to begin with himself. 

 

“No, I’ve just been busy.”

Derek didn’t look up when he said, “And did you ever get a response from Stiles?”

Isaac let out a sigh of relief to at the mention of Stiles, anything that took them away from the having to talk about Scott. Both Derek and Laura looked up at Isaac, Laura with an amused smile that grew wider when she noticed Derek’s raised eyebrows. A light tint of pink brushed through his cheeks under their gaze. 

“Uh, Yeah, we’re meeting up for coffee tomorrow.” He finally responded. Derek’s expression turned brooding and he looked back down at his plate. 

Laura cooed, “A coffee date?” 

Isaac rolled his eyes, “not a date, we’re just talking over some stuff,”

Tension began to dissipate from his body, he slumped into his chair.

“How old is Stiles now?” 

It was Isaac’s turn to raise his eyebrows at Laura, his eyes narrowed down in confused suspicion. 

“he’ll turn 18 next April,” 

“eighteen!” Laura threw her hands up, “You’re all turning into legal, consenting, adults!” she laughed. Derek looked up from his food and glared at Laura.

“Being eighteen makes them no different than being seventeen. The kid’s still a brat.”

“He’s actually pretty mature for his age. He’s really starting to come out to his own. Especially after he came out as bisexual,” her attention flickered over to Isaac who was focused on eating his food. The conversation had progressed into something he was comfortable with, “now he’s off on a mythology research program, he’s become involved in more things, Scott and Stiles are no longer weirdly dependent on each other.” She sighed and smiled at Derek, “He’s not a little boy anymore. I wonder if he found himself someone over the summer,”

Derek leaned over Isaac and took a spoonful of his mashed potatoes. 

\--

So Monday came and Isaac was helping Derek who was filling in for Laura, to fill the stock of the new books which had already sold out. It was one in the afternoon when the bells attached to the door chimed Isaac felt a hand fall on his shoulder. Isaac jumped and spun around to find Stiles grinning up at him.

“How’s it going Lahey?” 

Stiles’ hair had grown out over the past eight weeks he was gone. He had acquired a faint tan and his shoulders looked broader.

“Why are you wearing two layers of clothes right now?” Isaac pushed him with his shoulder moving past Stiles with a pile of books in his arms. 

Isaac couldn’t imagine wearing a t-shirt and a plaid long sleeve over it. 

“Says the guy with the attachment issue to a leather jacket.” Stiles rolled his eyes.

“I’m not wearing it now,” 

 

“Praise the lord, it’s a miracle.” 

It was a bit odd how well they actually did get along, despite all of their bickering. After being sidelined by Allison in Scott’s life, Neither Isaac nor Stiles had noticed how much they had actually grown to tolerate each other. 

“What time do you get off?” he asked Isaac, his eyes trailed upwards and behind him, “Hey there Derek, tired of your nomadic ways and are here to interact with the people?”

Derek scoffed, “Laura’s out at another conference,” 

“and she left you in charge?” Stiles brought a hand to his chest, his expression that of exaggerated disbelief.

 

“Just to eat little kids like you,” he smirked.

Usually, jokes about his age, especially when they came from Derek tended to get Stiles riled up and threw him off like it was something he didn’t want to be reminded of. 

Isaac expected Stiles to throw back a retort about how he’d be eighteen in a few months, instead Stiles grinned back at Derek, “Oh you can eat me alright,” 

Isaac chocked on nothing but a laugh that he was trying to suppress and just a bit of it escaped when he saw Derek’s wide eyes before the older man turned away.

“Isaac, you’re free to go. Erica will be here in a few minutes anyway.”

Stiles crossed his arms over his chest with a proud expression on his face, Isaac thanked Derek feeling a bit guilty at laughing at his discomfort.

Isaac took off his apron and hung it up on the hook beside the register. He waved at Derek who only nodded back and Stiles threw Derek a wink as he wrapped an arm around Isaac’s shoulders. Derek only narrowed his at the boys as he watched them leave.

The two teenagers were headed to a small coffee shop half a block away from the book store. While Stiles rambled about Kansans, the corn, the stuff he researched, and a dog they rescued, Isaac’s attention was mostly on the hand that was still resting on his shoulder. It didn’t feel the same, not like Scott’s had felt that night at the movies. There was nothing in him that made his stomach flutter, and while when Scott touched him, Isaac felt like his entire brain shut down.

They ordered coffee and migrated to a corner. 

Isaac dropped his shoulder in relief when he saw the emptiness of the coffee shop. He knew that Boyd and Danny worked as baristas but he was grateful they had made it into one of the shifts when neither of them worked. 

“All right, what’s wrong?” Isaac flinched at the sudden change in Stiles’ features. His eyes became more focused and his lips formed a tight line. His hands were wrapped around the warm coffee mug and he was leaning forward into Isaac’s space.

Isaac leaned back, “I don’t know.” 

Stile gave him a look that easily conveyed that he was calling Isaac out on his bull shit.

Isaac swallowed. If he wasn’t going to tell Derek or Laura, if he wasn’t willing to talk to anybody else about his personal life, and if Stiles was one of the few people who had managed to break the imaginary wall of people he didn’t completely hate that he had built up since his brother’s death, Stile would have to make due. 

 

So Isaac found himself in a dark corner, drinking an Americano that was too bitter for his taste, and asking a guy whom he didn’t feel comfortable calling anything more than a close acquaintance for to be his guiding hand on his road to self-discovery.

Stiles chocked on his coffee when he heard Isaac ask, “How did you know you were bi?”. Stiles’ face contorted back into a similar expression of exaggerated confusion but there was a hint of sincerity in his eyes. 

“Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.” He hid behind his coffee focusing on the wisps of steam that floated upwards.

“No, dude, you just caught me off guard,” Stiles set the coffee on the table and leaned back in his chair. One of his arms rested on one of his knees, bouncing restlessly while the other ran through his hair. He looked over Isaac who was still staring at the steam, questions on the tip of his tongue, but he could almost see the nervousness flitting about around the guy and he couldn’t bring himself to make him that uncomfortable yet. 

“I think after a month of my shower fantasies turned into Derek I realized I wasn’t straight.”

Well, he’d make him feel a little uncomfortable.

Isaac’s attention was back on Stiles who stuck his tongue out at the disgusted expression on the blonde’s face. 

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. You gotta admit the guy is attractive. A bit broody, but I bet you he’s got a soft mushy inside.”

And Isaac knew that for a fact. He’d sat through countless talking animal movies with Derek, he’d heard that ABBA cd that would be playing loudly through the loft when Derek thought he was alone and Laura and Isaac would sneak in after work, there was also the laughter that would sometimes be heard at the dinner table after someone made a stupid joke that always made Laura’s own smile a million times brighter and Isaac wished he was more of a comedian just so they could always be that happy.

“I mean, I knew I wasn’t straight but I wasn’t gay either. I mean, my love for Lydia burned bright for a long time after I started to question. I felt like I was in this sort of limbo where I couldn’t really define myself. And I mean, I’m not big on labels anyway, so whatever.”

 

Isaac nodded, Isaac didn’t know what he was and he wasn’t entirely sure if he was anything. He’d been going through a list of names and faces, trying to find some traces of stirrings in the pit of his stomach, something that would push him in one direction or another. 

 

“and you just knew?” his voice was soft and his eyes avoided meeting Stiles’, but Isaac could feel their gaze wandering around his own face.

Stiles took a moment before a chuckle burst through is lips, “No, there was a lot of experimenting that happened.”

 

The barista behind the counter greeted a costumer and both boys looked up from their corner. A dejected young man with a small bouquet of flower walked up to the counter to order his drink. Isaac recognized him as the guy who usually went into the book store to buy the newspaper and flirted with Laura on weekday mornings. He hadn’t seen the man go in that morning. Isaac voiced this quietly to Stiles.

 

“Bet it was a surprise when he showed up and found Derek waiting there.”

Both boys locked eyes their grins growing wider before they burst into laughter. Both the barista and the dejected young man looked over to their corner and they tried to stifle their laughter by pretending to cough. 

“Don’t be such an ass, Lahey,” Stiles shoved Isaac’s shoulder playfully.

 

“You’re the one who started laughing,” Isaac returned the gesture. 

It took a moment for them to calm down again. Isaac was still nervous, but he was finally looking at stiles again. 

“So, you want to make out?” 

And just like that Isaac was fumbling again, his eyes wide and mouth open as if he were trying to find what the proper response to Stiles’ question might be. 

“I’m kidding! Don’t pass out on me!” Stiles reached for Isaac with hesitation.

“I don’t know?” Isaac whispered and looked around. The dejected young man was focused sipping on his coffee while the barista chatted at him, her cheeks pink and eyes lively while his eyes remained downcast.

“Oh,” Stile sat up, “Oh! So you’re, oh!” Isaac could feel his face burning up. He knew well that he didn’t want to make out with Stiles but instead meant it as a way to express that he didn’t know if he wanted to make out with guys in general. He tried to voice his thoughts but the sounds never really made it out.

 

Stiles placed a hand on his shoulder, “Isaac, dude, it’s okay.” 

Isaac looked up, his eyes wide and childish. He could feel something pulsing through his body, like a trickling hot buzz, a voice in his head shouting and screaming at him telling him to run away, that he had already revealed too much. It was the same thing he had felt when Laura had confronted him about his dad. He could hear Stiles talking, he could feel his hands on his shoulders and then on his face. Isaac looked down at his hands and then at his coffee, he could no longer see the steam, only if he squinted and focused could he almost follow the trail.

“Isaac, Isaac? Hey, man, you still with me?” Stiles hands were warm on his cheeks. 

Slowly, his eyes trailed back up to see Stiles who was looking at him with a sympathetic look. For a moment, Isaac felt angry, he didn’t want pity. It took Isaac a long moment to realize that the look of sympathy was not pity, but a knowing glance because Stiles probably had to tell someone first as well. 

And it was probably Scott.

At the thought of Scott, Isaac began to blush his eyes wandering to a point that wasn’t Stiles who was smiling, Isaac’s face still in his hand. Relief flashed through his brown eyes.

The barista and the young man were quiet and looking at the small scene happening in the corner. Stiles pulled away from Isaac and gave the barista and the young man a confident and defiant nod. 

“Sorry, I’m just not sure how to go about this. I just, how do I know?” and Isaac could feel the walls shaking as if he were taking a pick-ax to it and chipping away, at least it wasn’t being bulldozed over like it had been with Laura.

“Can I ask what brought this on?”

And there was the dreaded answer to the question. Scott. Scott and his stupid smile, uneven jaw, eyes that could even move Lydia, the way he just devoted all of himself to what he did, with all of his sweet and supportive being. 

“Okay, so you don’t have to tell me. But!” He jumped up, the coffee teetering on the table for a moment, “I’m guessing you need a Batman to teach you the ropes to being a Robin!”

Isaac rolled his eyes, he could still feel the buzzing but it felt cooler, warm at the most and no longer a scalding hot. 

“hey! I’m already Erica’s Batman, she’s my Catwoman. You can complete the family and be my Robin.”

Isaac stood up and picked up both of their mugs and carried them over to the barista who happily took them from his hand.

“So have you watched any gay porn yet?” Stiles slapped Isaac on the back.

 

“What? No! I haven’t even thought about that!” 

“Really?” Stiles unlocked the jeep, “That was like the first thing I did!”

Isaac rolled his eyes as he climbed into the passenger’s seat, picking up the leather bound journal and turning it in his hands for a second before Stiles plucked it from his hands. There was a black duffle in the back seat that when Stiles pushed it to the side, Isaac could hear the clinking of metal. Stiles didn’t say anything but shrugged instead.

“I don’t even know, okay?” Isaac sighed and truly wished there was a survey that he could take that would just tell him what he was, what he should identify as.

“Hey, no worries, I’m here to help. It’s okay, Robin.”

They remained in the parking lot with the key in the ignition, both of them looking forward. “Have you told anybody else?”  
“no,”  
Stiles hummed, “Not ready?” Isaac nodded, “Then we’ll have to hit up some clubs outside of Beacon Hills.”


	4. It's only awkward the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm sorry about last week. I just finished with Uni and had to move back home for the summer. So...here's this which is actually really short and incomplete, so I'll probably add another chapter sometime in the middle of the week. I sat down and made a "big picture" outline so I know what I want to happen. I'll update the tags as I go....

Isaac was unsure as to why he continued to avoid Scott throughout the week and into the weekend. When he asked himself this one night as he stared at the ceiling, tucked under the green covers, he thought to himself that it was to avoid being obvious (which as it turned out made it a lot more obvious). But the small, prickly feeling that consumed his chest when he thought this excuse and whispered it to himself in the dark, reminded Isaac that the excuse really was nothing more than excuse. The reason he was avoiding Scott was because Isaac hoped, that maybe, just maybe if he cut Scott from his life, his sexual crisis would disappear. 

As it turned out, it did not make his feelings go away. At all. In fact, being away from Scott for so long put Isaac into a sort of withdraw. He became angrier, finding faults in everything, snapping at Derek and Stiles more often (never at Laura because he enjoyed being intact), and his body felt heavy. Everything became a drag, Isaac had been investing so much energy into not thinking about Scott (which as it turned out only made him think about Scott more and the thoughts had reached some pretty risky territory) enough so that Isaac felt tired and sleep deprived throughout the entire week.

Scott called Isaac the first couple of days, and then the text messages started. When Isaac didn’t answer, Scott showed up at the loft and when no one answered the door he left a note on the door. He also showed up at Triskelion again and Isaac continued to hide. 

It was Laura, who on Friday at eight thirty in the afternoon walked into the loft to find both Derek and Isaac sitting on the couch watching a movie about a mouse. 

“Isaac Lahey, what the hell are you doing here!” 

Isaac jumped in his seat, both his and Derek’s head turning to look up at Laura who towered over them.

He narrowed his eyes, “I live here.” 

Her hands landed on her hips, “I know that, it’s Friday Game Night at Stilinski’s. Shouldn’t you already be there doing whatever it is that you three get up to behind closed doors?” 

“I didn’t feel like going today.” His eyes bore into the screen where a mouse with large ears sang to the moon.

“Still avoiding Scott then?” Laura rounded the couch’s corner and slipped into the seat beside Derek so that he was sitting in between the two.

“I’m not avoiding anyone.” 

“Just Scott.”

“No, not _just Scott _. No. One.”__

__“You haven’t been doing much this week other than work. And sitting in your room listening to Coldplay.”_ _

__

__Isaac turned to glare at Derek, Laura hadn’t been over all week, the only way she would have that information would be if Derek had been talking about him. Derek only shrugged his focus still on the movie._ _

__“and talking to Erica at work doesn’t really count.” She added._ _

__Isaac leaned deeper into the cushions of the couch. The loft for the most part was dark and quiet, the sound on the movie incredibly quiet since Derek seemed to have incredible hearing; it left the room feeling like an eerie scene in a movie where the only thing missing was the scratching on the window pane._ _

__It didn’t help that he could feel Laura still watching him._ _

__Derek reached for the remote and paused the movie._ _

__“Laura, stop it. You’re creeping me out.” He sighed._ _

__Laura’s glare moved from Isaac to her little brother, “Are you going to tell me you’re not worried? Isaac hasn’t spent Friday nights here for nearly a year.”_ _

__The realization that what Laura was saying was true hit Isaac like a stack of bricks. His friendship with Scott had started late into their sophomore year and Friday game nights had only begun the summer going into their junior year. For nearly 52 weeks every Friday, Isaac Lahey would fall asleep on Stiles Stilinski’s bed beside Scott McCall (Stiles, it seemed, never actually slept) and not once had he thought about Scott as anything more than his close friend._ _

__And as Isaac checked out for the night, heading into his room leaving Laura and Derek sitting on the couch in the dark with only the company of the a mice in western gear so break the silence, and he crawled into the covers, Isaac’s mind drifted back into those Saturday mornings when he would wake up after Stiles would pull the blinds up, Scott’s arm lazily draped over his chest, his face tucked in beside Isaac’s shoulder, sometimes they’d be spooning._ _

__The first time that happened it had been awkward. Stiles didn’t waste an opportunity to tease and mock, but somehow, that became their routine._ _

__When did it just become a thing to wake up like that? Did friends do that? Nearly fifty two weeks of cuddling with Scott McCall._ _

__And yet, it seemed so innocent._ _

__Isaac closed his eyes and groaned, now while he laid in bed all he could think about how he’d like to wake up in bed with Scott again, to have his face nuzzled in the crook of Isaac’s neck. Their bodies contorted to fit within each other, warm and sticky, holding one another and allowing their hands to wander._ _

__For the first time since he consciously thought about Scott in a more sexual manner, he allowed his hand to trail down beneath the waistband of his pajama bottoms and his underwear._ _

__He thought of Scott, he’d seen him naked before in the locker rooms after lacrosse plenty of times. There was little for his imagination to fill in while he tugged on his growing erection._ _

__He was gasping when his phone began to ring on the night stand. His eyes fluttered open and at the thought of Scott trailing his torso with small bites Isaac came in his hand._ _

__The phone was still ringing, and in a hazy move, Isaac reached for the phone and answered._ _

__“Well, it’s nice to know you’re alive!”_ _

__Isaac sat up his head hitting the bed frame._ _

__“Allison?” his voice broke._ _

__“yes, Oh my gosh, Scott has been worried sick! You haven’t answered any of his messages and Stiles just mentioned that you were dealing with some stuff and then Scott called me and he sounded like he was about to cry,” she talked as if she didn’t say it all at once Isaac might hang up and he wouldn’t hear any of it._ _

__To be fair he was thinking about hanging up on her._ _

__“and he might’ve killed Stiles, it sounded like he wanted to…” she trailed off_ _

__Isaac looked down at his right which was starting to feel caked._ _

__He made a move towards a pack of wipes he kept in a drawer._ _

__“I’ve been busy. I’ll make sure to call him tomorrow.” He mumbled._ _

__“Tomorrow? Why,” she sighed, “Why are you avoiding Scott? And why haven’t you returned any of Maya’s calls?” Allison didn’t sound angry or annoyed, just worried._ _

__“I’m just having a hard time with something, everything’s fine. I just need some time on my own.” He sounded annoyed._ _

__Allison huffed, the sound of cloth ruffling reached into the phone, “Well, something’s obviously up and you’re only avoiding Scott and—“ she paused._ _

__An angry and cold chill ran down Isaac’s body. Because, no, it was no fucking fair that she would figure it out._ _

__“We should get together and talk about Maya.” She eventually said._ _

__Isaac threw the wet-wipe into the waste basket._ _

__“No,” he snapped, “I’ll talk to her tomorrow,”_ _

__“I’ll pick you up at ten for brunch. It’ll just be the two of us.” Isaac was about to tell her that his relationships were none of her business when she ended the call with, “and don’t forget my dad is an arms supplier and I know how to use a gun.”_ _


	5. No One Knows Why Stiles Had To Be There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And why is Allison looking at him like that? Like she's realized what she wants...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short. sorry. finally going somewhere I think.... I'm having an internal debate as to how I want this to end. I have three outcomes planned out and I don't know which I want more!

Isaac was pretty sure that Laura knew. That, however did not meant that Isaac was ready to confess anything to them yet, except maybe that he was the one who ate the last ice cream bar that was sitting in the freezer.

Either way, he was sure Laura knew what was going on, and if Derek’s focused looks were anything to go by, he probably knew it to.

Which was kind of ridiculous because Isaac himself didn’t even know what was going on.

Either way, it was Saturday morning and his phone was ringing on the bedside table. 

The glare from the sun seeping into the room made it difficult for Isaac to read name of the caller, but Allison made herself known before he could mutter a hello.

Allison was waiting inside the car out on the curbside. She informed Isaac he had ten-minutes before she went up to the loft and dragged him out herself. 

Half asleep, Isaac had the urge to tell Allison to fuck off and mind her own business, but Isaac also realized that he was dealing with Allison, which is to say if she didn’t kick his ass, Scott would he happy to do it for her.

So he kept his mouth shut.

After hanging up, Isaac sat up slowly, his memory reeling in the night before and his first phone call with Allison. Panic began to swell in the pit of his stomach as he remembered the small _Oh. _that she had muttered before ending the call. Allison knew. And while Laura and Derek weren’t calling him out on their suspicions, Allison was about to lay it all out clear for Isaac and probably kick him to the curb.__

__He scrambled towards his phone which he had tossed across the bed and called Allison back._ _

__“I can’t go out today. I have plans with Stiles.” He growled._ _

__Allison remained silent on phone for a moment and then to Isaac’s shame said, “Stiles is sitting right here, Isaac. Get your butt down here or we’re going in.”_ _

__“What the fuck is Stiles doing there?” his voice slowly went higher in pitch. Stiles knew about the questioning, Allison knew about the Scott, together they knew more than Isaac._ _

__“if you come down here, we’ll tell you.” She sighed and then hung up._ _

__Kicking the covers off his body, Isaac crawled out of bed as slowly as he could. For a split second he contemplated jumping out the window but decided that would be both a stupid and painful experience. He dug out some pants and a green t-shirt which looked too bright on him and actually made Isaac feel somewhat sick. But laundry had yet to be done so it would have to do._ _

__

__He took his time in the bathroom, washing his face with cold water, hoping that it would help ease the burning sensation he felt all over his body whenever he thought about how Stiles (who sucked, big time) and Allison (who was honestly, kind of difficult to really dislike) were sitting outside waiting to crush_ _

__Isaac over something he didn’t really understand yet._ _

__He left a note on the refrigerator that said he was out with Stiles and Allison and he’d be back soon._ _

__Outside Allison was sitting in the driver’s seat and Stiles was sitting in the back seat. She pointed to the passenger’s seat and he made his way over to the door and slipped in._ _

__“Dude,” Stiles groaned leaning in between the two seats, “Hurry up, I’m starving. Allison didn’t let me eat before we left.”_ _

__As Allison ignited the engine and pulled out into the road Isaac leaned back and pushed Stiles face back, “What the fucking hell are you doing here, Stiles?” he hissed._ _

__Stiles swatted Isaac’s hand away, “I don’t actually know. Allison just showed up and dragged me out of bed. I’m technically still wearing my pajamas.” He motioned down to his basketball shorts and worn t-shirt._ _

__Isaac slumped back into the seat. At the red light he could feel Allison turn to look at him, her mouth slightly parted as if she wanted to say something but closing it after a moment. Isaac thought she was probably picking her words carefully, as to not break his heart completely but make the message clear._ _

__They pulled into a diner that Stiles insisted they go to and got out of the car in silence._ _

__The place was empty except for the host who recognized Stiles and they chatted for a moment while Isaac hid behind a menu and Allison kept switching back and forth between Isaac and her own menu._ _

__As it turned out, that didn’t matter because Stiles insisted in ordering for everyone._ _

__“No, seriously they have the best waffles.”_ _

__“I hate waffles.”_ _

__“You’ll love these. They melt in your mouth, they’re like an orgasm that you’ve been holding back the entire day and you are finally giving yourself the last t—“_ _

__“Stiles! Hush,” Allison chided._ _

__It wasn’t until their food arrived that Allison made her move. “So, Isaac,” she smiled, “Scott really misses having you around. _I _miss having you around.”___ _

____Stiles, who was stealing a piece of Isaac’s waffle froze, his eyes slowly trailing up to find Isaac’s wide ones staring back at Allison. His face, oddly enough pale and almost sickly looking._ _ _ _

____Allison wasn’t really saying anything; friends missed each other all of the time. But it was her knowing smile and the convinced shine in her eyes that made the message clear._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison Argent, Scott McCall’s girlfriend knew that he, Isaac Lahey had a more than friendly attraction to her boyfriend._ _ _ _

____He waited for the angry bubble to burst over his head and to washed in rage, but as Allison’s smile softened to one of what seemed to be understanding he realized that he couldn’t bring himself to argue or deny anything to her._ _ _ _

____“I knew it!” Stiles jumped in his seat and threw his fist up into the air._ _ _ _

____Both Isaac and Allison glared at Stiles who shrugged as he brought down his arm._ _ _ _

____“Man, what is it about Scott that he manages to catch so much tail?”_ _ _ _

____Allison rolled her eyes before letting them rest on Isaac._ _ _ _

____The boy sitting across from her was holding a fork in his hand, using it to poke at a strawberry sitting on top of his waffle._ _ _ _

____What was it about Scott?_ _ _ _

____When Isaac was a little boy and his mom and brother were still around, he felt like he had everything he could possibly want in life. His mother used to tell him that family was the most important thing, that as long as they had family they would be okay._ _ _ _

____Then his brother died in the war and his mother got sick. But Isaac believed that if he just loved his family enough everything would be okay. And when his mother passed away only a few months after her son’s death, Isaac swore that he would not lose the last of his family. And when his dad started beating him, saying things that cut Isaac much deeper than the scrapes created by his blows, Isaac swore that he would take it, because despite everything his dad was still his dad and he was family. If Isaac lost that he wouldn’t be okay, because as long as he had family he would be okay._ _ _ _

____Isaac lied to himself for years until Laura stepped in, and as much as he wanted to be angry and bitter that she had taken from him the only thing he had left to keep him going, when the court called the verdict, Isaac felt like the hands pushing him under the water finally let his body rise up to breath._ _ _ _

____Yet, even though he had Laura and Derek he still felt out of place and empty. That emptiness only filled with rage as people in the streets and at school began to look at him with sad eyes._ _ _ _

____Scott though—_ _ _ _

____He, by some power, managed to chip away at the cold shell that Isaac wore every day. At first, Isaac was sure that Scott was just too stupid to understand that he was being insulted and mocked, but eventually to keep that front up with Scott took too much effort. Scott and his stubborn insistence that Isaac join him and Stiles on Friday Game Nights and the easy way in which they talked to each other, Scott always baring himself out to Isaac, his faith and trust in him never wavering._ _ _ _

____And slowly, Isaac found himself feeling the same.  
Scott became his best friend, and he’d say Scott became like a brother to him, but no. The feelings Isaac had for Derek matched those he had for his big brother. When Isaac saw Scott, a warm feeling, whether he recognized it or not always pooled in his chest. He’d think about what a great man Scott would one day be. He was a leader, strong, faithful, and loyal to a fault. He’d often thought about how great of a father Scott would be, always imagining the children Scott and Allison one day would have…_ _ _ _

____But now, he wanted a part of that, he wanted to have a place in that family._ _ _ _

____Isaac’s eyes drifted back up to Allison who was still watching him fondly._ _ _ _

____“It’s okay.” She said._ _ _ _

____Stiles sitting beside Allison, nodded as well, “Dude, it’s cool.”_ _ _ _

____The ground beneath Isaac’s feet felt sturdier, like he wasn’t going to fall through._ _ _ _

____“I don’t even know, y’know? Because is it just a thing? Or is this, is this who I am.” He shrugged._ _ _ _

____Stiles tapped the side of his empty plate with his fork, “Dude, tonight we’ll go to _OZ _and see how you manage.” Stiles turned to face Allison, “You want to come with?”___ _ _ _

______Allison’s eyebrows arched upwards, “I don’t think that’s my kind of venue,” she giggled. “You two have fun though.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Isaac finally took a bite of his cold waffle. It was decent. Waffles still weren’t his thing._ _ _ _ _ _

______When he looked back up at Allison was staring at him again, her head slightly tilted. A smirk began to form, a dimple began to show, and an odd shiver ran down Isaac’s body._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You’ll come over and hang out with Scott and me tomorrow, right? He’s helping Deaton out at the clinic in the afternoon. Join us for puppies?” her grin was bright, perfect._ _ _ _ _ _

______Stiles looked between Isaac and Allison, confusion playing on his face. While Isaac’s conscious was screaming at him that hanging out as a trio was going to be awkward, he found himself nodding and smiling before taking another bite of the waffle._ _ _ _ _ _

______It didn’t taste as horrid._ _ _ _ _ _


	6. No time to think about it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As it turns out, Isaac is pretty into it.

Stiles, as it turned out, had been dragged out of bed by Allison for two reasons. She had put the pieces together that Stiles must have already known about Isaac since it made sense for Isaac to reach out to him for advice and it was fairly obvious that was the case because the two fought constantly and suddenly they were best buddies, and second because Stiles had a tendency to buy people breakfast. It was a win/win scenario for Allison. 

 

She left them at the diner to make their plans.

 

“Don’t wear leather.” Isaac rolled his eyes at Stiles. “Dude, I’m serious. You’ll die of heat stroke at this place. It’s always packed.”

 

“I don’t want to go.” 

 

Stiles let a sigh drag out, focused on Isaac who was giving him a cheeky grin.

 

“Dude. Give it a shot, man. You might like it. Or you might just be scottsexual.” Stiles stuck his tongue out in disbelief at the last word.

 

When Isaac didn’t say anything, Stiles got up leaving behind a tip and dragged Isaac up by the shoulders and guided him out the doors. They stood in front of the diner for a few minutes and the cold realization that Allison was gone washed over them.

 

“She was our ride.”   
\--

 

Back at the loft, Derek woke up to the familiar quiet of a Saturday morning. Isaac usually came back from game nights around noon. However, Isaac hadn’t gone out the night prior.

 

On the fridge a note was waiting for him. And to read that his little brother (because that is really what Isaac was) was out with Stiles, who was the sheriff’s kid and still underage (he’d have to keep reminding himself that).

 

Nothing stopped the cold coil of jealousy that had begun to make itself at home in the put of Derek’s stomach in the past week. 

 

He found the situation kind of baffling. Isaac had always complained about Stiles being loud, annoying, and the thought that Isaac didn’t like sharing Scott with Stiles was always an undercurrent. But just like that, Isaac was suddenly making dates with Stiles and running off with him in the early mornings.

 

And like clockwork, Laura walked through the front door like she did every Saturday. Today, however she had both Isaac and Stiles trailing behind her.

 

Isaac was rolling his eyes at something Stiles was saying but an amused smirk was on his face which counteracted his annoyance, Stiles was laughing at whatever he had said and leaning on Isaac.

 

The cold coil in his stomach shattered, and the little and sharp shards seemed to stab him in a scattered pattern all the way up to his chest.

 

“Good morning, little brother,” Laura kissed his cheek. “I found some stray puppies on the side of the road. Can we keep them?” she reached across the counter and pulled both boys into a hug.

 

Derek grunted before saying, “Let them go Laura. They might have rabies.”

 

Isaac scoffed, insulted, and Stiles only winked and said, “Let me bight you and we’ll test that theory out.”

 

Laura let out a laugh and Isaac gave Stiles a light tap on his arm. 

 

While the comment should have caused Derek to blush in embarrassed annoyance as Stiles’ comments tended to do, instead Derek felt himself glare in anger. Everyone was behaving fluidly and honestly, he was tired of trying to keep up.

 

Stiles flinched a bit at Derek’s reaction.

 

Laura pulled back and started to browse through the cupboards.

 

“Pancakes?” she asked. 

 

“we just had breakfast with Allison,” Isaac shrugged. 

 

“Yeah, we’re just going to pick some clothes out for Isaac for later tonight.” Stiles pitched in.

 

Laura arched an eyebrow and looked between the two boys, “You’re going out tonight?”

 

“Yeah, there’s a party some people from school are throwing.” Stiles smiled sweetly. 

 

Laura narrowed her eyes and inspected the boys. Isaac grinned at her, and Laura could never really handle the dimples.

 

“Well, have lots of fun” She said. “What about you Derek? Any plans? A date?”

 

“Just working on my thesis,” he said handing her the pancake batter.

 

“Such a good boy,” she cooed, “Such good boys!” she called out again as Isaac and Stiles made their way to the former’s bedroom. 

\--  
 _Oz _, unlike most of the so-called clubs in Beacon Hills, is not in a warehouse in the middle of an industrial park. When Stiles’ jeep gives a sharp turn into an actual yellow brick road, Isaac rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. The yellow brick road leads them further into in the dark, soldiering trees on the left and the right illuminated only by the occasional soft green light that flashed as the jeep passed by.__

__

__“You’re not going to kill me and dump my body out in the middle of the Woods? Derek and Laura know I’m with you.”_ _

__

__Stiles rolled his eyes, “Dude, this place is great. A little in the middle of nowhere, but it’s massive. and legendary.”_ _

__

__“then why haven’t I ever heard of it?”_ _

__

__The yellow road expanded into a parking lot that was already fairly filled with cars and motorcycles. Yellow taxi cabs were lined up to the side in wait. The club itself looked like an old house from the outside. There was no sign that announced the name only the pulsing green lights provided the light towards the entrance._ _

__

__“Isaac, you’ve just been hanging with the wrong crowd.” Stiles took the key out of the ignition and hopped out of the Jeep._ _

__

__The closer they got to the entrance where a long line had already formed, and Isaac would admit it was a bit of visual shock to see so many guys in one line, the more he began to feel nervous about being there. Once he was inside what was he expected to do? just dance? Dance with Stiles?_ _

__

__“Hey, I really don’t want to dance with you.” he leaned over and whispered to Stiles who was pulling out his fake ID from his wallet._ _

__

__“What? Rude!” he stuck his tongue out at Isaac, “I didn’t want to dance with you anyways!”_ _

__

__The bouncer, who according to Stiles later on was _Pretty damn fine, _took both boy’s IDs and looked them over. His eyes lingered over Stiles, a questioning and irritated scowl formed on his face. Before he could protest and call Stiles out on the fact that the kid looked like, well a kid, Isaac put a hand on Stiles shoulder, “He looks like he’s yet to hit puberty, but he’s 21.”___ _

____ _ _

____The bouncer turned his attention over to Isaac and looked him over. Isaac was wearing a white v-neck and despite Stiles protests, a pair of black jeans. Isaac arched an eyebrow and put up a playful smirk. The bouncer shrugged and handed them back their cards and stepped aside to let them in._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Not fair,” Stiles grumbled once he was inside._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Maybe if you hadn’t worn the plaid.” Isaac mocked him._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Whatever, I look great. Look, I’m driving tonight. So you can enjoy yourself.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____There were few times when Stiles Stilinski passed up the opportunity to get drunk since they rarely came up for the Sheriff’s Son, but Stiles placed his hands on Isaac’s shoulder and because the bass of the music was vibrating through to walls enough to drown his voice out, Stiles yelled “Tonight’s all about you, pal.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Either way, Isaac followed Stiles towards the bar where he asked one of the bartenders who looked more _California _than most Californians asked them what they wanted, his eyes stopped over Stiles and he raised a questioning eyebrow, “I’m twenty-one!” Stiles threw his arms up into the air, “But I’m driving, so I’ll just have a coke.”___ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______The blond nodded then turned to Isaac. Taking in the younger man he smiled and the innocent expression soon evolved into something more beckoning._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______“I’ll take a Jameson on the rocks,” the bartender’s eyebrows shot up for a moment before giving him a wink and turning away._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______“Dude, you will not puke in my car. I will leave you for dead on the side of the road,” Stiles warned and pushed himself up onto a stool._ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______Isaac rolled his eyes and leaned back on the bar, “unlike you, I can hold my liquor.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______ _ _ _ _

______The outside of _Oz _looked like an ordinary house, but the inside looked like it extended forever and it must have in order to accommodate so many people. different colored lights were shining down to the dancefloor which took up most of the room. There was a balcony on the opposite side from the corner where the bar was set up, where the DJ had set up camp. The music was loud a carried a quick beat that was already calling Isaac to the dance floor as he took his drink. Stiles was tapping the beat of the song on the counter looking over the crowd of men all in various stages of dress. His lips pursed and head nodding in appreciation whenever he saw someone who caught his eye.___ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Isaac was doing the same when two guys slipped into their space, a blond that looked like the homecoming king from a high school drama and a brunet that looked like he had stepped out of a magazine cover that was immediately taken with Isaac._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The guy wasted no time, “Let’s dance,” he said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Isaac gave him his signature smirk before looking back at Stiles and throwing him a shrug. Stiles replied with a wink and a nod._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You’re not here together?” American Dream leaned in and asked into Stiles ear._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Stiles shook his head, “Nah, just friends.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’m Noah, by the way,” Noah smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Stiles,” he offered his hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________\---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The beat of the song was fast, it was a remix and the lyrics of the song were lost on Isaac. The brunet who eventually introduced himself as Michael, had his hands on Isaac’s hips. All prior nerves about what to do and how to react were numbed by the Jameson. His hands skirted up Michael’s arms until they were resting on his shoulders. Michael was only slightly taller than Isaac, their hips aligned nicely following a steady rhythm and their foreheads were touching._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Isaac had technically danced with other guys, he usually had the buffer of a girl in between them, but he found that it wasn’t all that different and just as enjoyable._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Song switched and Michael pulled him closer, their bodies grinding and hands roaming over each other. Suddenly, Isaac felt like he was wearing too many articles of clothing and like they had all shrunk to fit him tighter. Michael was panting, his erection obvious to Isaac and his body which was reacting to the feeling of having Michael’s interest pressed all over him. Michael used a hand to pull Isaac up by the chin and leaned in to press his lips on Isaac’s. It wasn’t unexpected. certainly, their behavior had built up to it, but Isaac something in the back of Isaac’s mind had expected something chaste for his _Second-First Kiss _, but instead it was rough, desperate and sloppy. Michael’s tongue was quickly in Isaac’s mouth and it didn’t take long for Isaac to push himself harder against Michael’s body, his hands buried in Michael’s short hair. They were both panting and still grinding into each other when Isaac felt himself pulled back by someone.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He was about to growl at whoever had pulled him away but stopped himself when he saw Stiles, with his tense jaw and focused eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He still had a hand on one of Isaac’s shoulders and in the other was his cellphone, “Isaac. It’s your dad.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Isaac didn’t look back at Michael, his entire focus was on following Stiles through the mass of people towards the exit. Once they were out, Stiles didn’t say anything until they were getting into the Jeep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Derek called. Laura and Derek have been calling your cellphone but it’s been sitting here in the car. They called me once and I didn’t pick up, I was talking to a guy, so they called Scott, who called me. The prison called, Isaac your dad’s in the hospital.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Stiles waited for a response from Isaac who was looking straight ahead through the windshield. His lips were swollen and his face still flushed, hair mussed, he would have looked like sex if it weren’t for the vacant look in his eyes that made him look like a madman instead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The radio was humming a cheery pop song that annoyed the both of them but both locked in silence made no move to change the station or turn the thing off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Once they were back on the main road Stiles felt the need to break the silence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“They wouldn’t tell Laura anything about his condition, only that he was being moved to BHH because the equipment at the prison wasn’t cutting it.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Isaac still didn’t say anything. His phone was sitting in his hands when it started to vibrate again. Stiles stole a glance to look down, it was Derek._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________When the phone pulsed a seventh time and Isaac still made no move to pick it up, Stiles reached out and answered the phone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“We’re on our way!” He barked at Derek, “I don’t know. I-I don’t think so.” his voiced softened, “He’s not saying anything. No. No I don’t think so. Hey, no, listen, we’re on our way. We’ll meet you at the hospital. Have you found anything out?” Stiles shoulders tensed as he slowed down at a red-light and the grip on the steering wheel tightened. “We’ll see you there in a couple of minutes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Stiles didn’t know Mr.Lahey. He knew nothing more than at one point he was a swim coach at Beacon Hills, He was Isaac’s dad, and he was an abusive bastard towards Isaac._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________But he was Isaac’s dad, and Stiles knew what it was like to fear that he’d lose dad._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________When Isaac finally looked over at Stiles, with eyes that resembled the dead, Stiles said, “He had a hemorrhagic stroke. He had an undetected aneurysm that started to bleed. He’s been taken into surgery.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Isaac gave a slow nod and then leaned forward to turn off the radio. They maintained silence until they arrived at the hospital._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okie dokes, you guys! I am going to visit family in Mexico next week so.... We'll se about updating. I'll probably be writing in a notebook on the plane and stuff. I'll try to update this weekend, but in case you haven't noticed, I don't keep my schedule very well.
> 
> Thanks for sticking around. I hope the scene with Michael turned out decently. Let me know what you thought about it! Constructive Criticism is always welcome!


	7. Making things Clear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Allison talk about it, Allison and Laura talk about it, there's just a lot of talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is just some more explanation stuff. Chapter eight is his meeting with his dad, and after that it's the epilogue which is them down along the road. this really hasn't turned out anything how I planned, but there are so many other things I want to write. ALSO, all the OT3 stuff in these past few episodes! SWEET!

Scott didn’t want to be selfish, and he knew that wanting Isaac but holding on to Allison as well was the worst he could do. So when they went on double dates and saw Isaac with someone else he reminded himself that he was more than lucky, and that it wasn’t fair to Allison that he look longingly at anyone that wasn’t her. and Scott loved Allison, he loved her so much it scared him sometimes. 

One night, while Allison was resting her head on his chest, his hand running through her hair, she pressed herself tighter to him, enough that she could really take in his scent, she allowed her musings to take surface.

 

“Isaac’s really grown up, he looks like he’s been sculpted to perfection.”

 

Scott’s hand lifted from her hair and she looked up from his chest, dimples adorning her cheeks. 

 

Scott narrowed his eyes at Allison and pushed himself up to sit. 

 

Allison followed, straddling his legs.

 

“Hey!,” she poked him on the chest, “I check Isaac out too, y’know” she teased, a faint blush forming on her cheeks. there was still enough light in the room that he could see it.

 

Scott reached for the hand that was sprawled out on his chest and pulled her in, their foreheads resting together.

 

Nothing but the sound of their breathing filled the room until Scott broke the silence and pulled away to cup her face with his hands. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You don’t deserve this,”

 

Allison grinned, “it really isn’t, but I mean I can see where you’re coming from.”

 

Scott’s head tilted to the side a bit, “I mean he really is gorgeous, I’m not blind. And,” she leaned back, “When he’s not busy keeping that stupid dick facade, he’s actually really sweet.”

Scott blinked and slowly frowned before blurting out, “I love you,” his eyes wide. 

 

Allison blinked, frozen and quiet before she replied, “I know.” and smiled. 

 

They smiled at each other, sitting half-naked in the dark. Allison giggled and Scott couldn’t help but grin wide. 

 

“I might have a crush on Isaac as well,” she whispered.

 

“What?” he croaked.

 

Allison rolled her eyes, “You think I would’ve been okay sharing your attention with him if I wasn’t on the same boat?”

 

Scott flipped allison onto her back, and eruption of laughter bubbled up out of them. 

 

“What’s wrong with us?” he sighed into her neck.

 

“Nothing, not really,” she smiled.

 

***

 

When they arrive at the hospital, the sounds in motion are lost to Isaac. The news of his father’s condition left him in a daze of deafening silence. When they found Laura and Derek sitting in the waiting room, he could see her mouth moving, words must have been coming out, her eyes were glossy, and she looked pretty. Laura always looked pretty, beautiful, but tonight she looked impossibly perfect with her lips a bright red, hair curled, wearing the dress she had only worn once on her birthday because she claimed it was too gorgeous. 

 

Her words did not reach Isaac. It wasn’t until she pulled him into a tight hug that sound began to flood back in. He realized that Derek was watching him, his expression was blank but his eyes made Isaac want to crawl over and just hold onto Derek as well. 

 

Laura stopped talking, he could hear the phone ring at the desk, a woman was checking in, the room was white and sterile, there was a man sitting in a chair with his head bowed and hands on his knees, his lips moving in prayer. 

 

In a moment he could feel Derek’s arms wrap around him and Laura. Isaac closed his eyes, a shaky breath escaping. They stayed like that for a moment longer before Isaac dropped his arms and both Derek and Laura pulled away. 

 

“He’ll be out of surgery in a few hours.” Laura whispered as she ushered him towards a chair. It wasn’t until he was sitting with Derek and Laura on either side of him that he remembered Stiles awkwardly standing near the desk. 

 

Laura was running her hand down his back and the feeling reminded him too much of his brother doing the same after his mom had just died.

 

“Sit down, Stiles,” Derek eventually sighed.

 

“I-I don’t know. maybe I should go. Isaac if you need anything you can--”

 

Stiles seemed to be shaking, his eyes had gone wide and his voice was cracking with small droplets of panic seeping out. It dawned on Derek that Stiles was probably thinking about his dad.

 

Isaac couldn’t hear what Stiles was saying, sound had been cut off from his senses again and all he could focus on was the feeling of doom that came from Laura’s hand.

 

“Just come sit here.” Derek patted the seat next to him. “It’ll do him some good to have you around.”

 

Stiles walked over and awkwardly slipped into the seat beside Derek. He rubbed his hands together and then ran them through his hair, “It’s his dad, y’know. That-that’s gotta be tough. I can’t even--” Stiles let out a deep breath and then he turned to look at Derek who was already leaning in to listen to Stiles’ whispers, “I’m glad he has you guys.” Stiles’ smile was soft and his eyes sincere. 

 

“he has you too, now,” Derek’s smile was a bit more bitter sweet.

 

Stiles rolled his eyes, “yeah so that I can drive him to parties and help him hook up with people,” he scoffed.

Derek flinched back, his expression surprised and confused. 

His sudden movement brought Isaac’s attention back to the present and Derek found himself with three pairs of confused eyes on him.

 

“Did you-- Did you think Isaac and I were dating?” Stiles bit his lip to keep from laughing.

 

Derek blinked but didn’t say anything. To avoid Stiles’ gaze he turned away only to run into that of Isaac’s. He was grinning, mocking him almost, and despite the annoyance of being made fun of, it was nice that he was distracted if only for a moment.

 

Isaac took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair, “I guess I should tell you guys,” he straightened up in the chair, “I’m bi.”

 

He looked between Laura and Derek expectantly and caught Laura rolling her eyes, “Congratulations?” she teased.

 

“Aren’t you guys surprised?” 

“Not really? I mean, Your thing for Scott--”

 

Isaac covered his face with his hands, “Does _everybody _know about my thing for Scott?” he groaned.__

__

__“Probably everyone _but _Scott.” said Derek.___ _

____ _ _

____“And you thought I was dating Stiles?” he shoved Derek with his shoulder, “Dude, gross.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“hey! I’m a catch!” Stiles defended himself._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Everybody rolled their eyes at that. Laura then pulled Isaac in for another side hug, “Hun, You’re our little brother. We will always love you, I don’t see why you didn’t go to Derek for the advice though.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“What?” both Isaac and Stiles turned to look at Derek._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“You’re into guys?” sqwaked Stiles._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“both genders,” Derek corrected._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“My god, that would have been less of a pain to go through,” Isaac slumped into the chair, “So much easier.” he thought it over for a moment and then shook his head. It would have been a pain either way._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____They fell into a comfortable silence after that, which only lasted for about thirty seconds before Stiles stood up and said, “I’m going to be eighteen in like six months.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Derek jumped in his chair at the comment while Laura and Isaac chuckled. When no one said anything Stiles sat back down in the chair. Silence fell again for a longer time. Stiles had begun to doze off, leaning on Derek’s shoulder when Scott came running through the hall with a carrier full of coffee._ _ _ _

____He stopped abruptly a few feet away from Isaac. His hair was sticking up in odd places and he was still in his pajamas, sweats and an old lacrosse jersey._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Isaac looked up at him, finding it suddenly very difficult to swallow. An urge to just throw himself into the arms of his friend, his companion, just to be comforted by the person who made him feel so many things._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Not far behind Scott came Allison, who was also wearing her sleeping gear which looked a lot like Scott’s._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“What are you guys doing here? it’s nearly two in the morning.” his voice sounded hoarser than he had intended._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Both Scott’s and Allison’s eyes widened as they stepped forward and knelt in front of him._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison reached for his hand and while most of him was surprised at the gesture, there was a part of him that was more surprised at how comforting it felt to hold her hand._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Scott handed Derek the coffee carrier and then reached for Isaac’s other hand. Both were warm, sending warm shivers of comfort throughout the rest of his body._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Thanks,” he whispered._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Don’t disappear on me like that, You scared me. Thought you were trying to get rid of me,”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Isaac looked away, he let his eyes wander down to his feet and avoided Scott’s eyes. He didn’t want to talk about that, not yet. He’d have to, eventually, maybe...but if he did, he didn’t want it to be there, in the hospital while they waited to hear about his dad._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Not trying to get rid of you,” was all that he responded and that was all that Scott really needed._ _ _ _

____****  
When Isaac woke up he was sore. He had fallen asleep in the chair with his neck crained back. Scott was sleeping with his head on Isaac’s left shoulder, one of his hands still holding on to Isaac’s left while Allison was doing the same on the right._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____When his eyes finally managed to focus and the blurry figures in front of him took a more defined form, he saw Laura watching them, standing a few feet in front of the three kids holding a coffee carrier. Her eyes veiled with a soft worry while her lips were curled up on a fond smile._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____He was still in the hospital, he realized,_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Beside him, Allison stirred away, her grip on his hand tightening while she rubbed her eyes with the other._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“What’s wrong?” her voice was groggy and her words slightly slurred._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Laura moved in closer, holding out the coffee towards them. Allison let go of Isaac’s hand so that he could reach for his coffee. Isaac frowned down at his empty hand._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison reached for the coffee and asked, “any news?”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“He’s resting now. Once he wakes up the doctor will be able to asses how much damage was done, but the surgery went well.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Isaac let out a deep sigh, and allowed himself to seeing deep into his seat. Allison leaned on his shoulder with her eyes closed and a small smile._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____After a moment, Isaac stood up._ _ _ _

____“I can’t sit anymore. Everything hurts. I’m going to go find the bathroom.”_ _ _ _

____Both young women nodded and watched as he walked away. Scott, having woken up at the loss of his pillow, half asleep announced that he would do the same and followed after Isaac._ _ _ _

____Laura smiled and took a seat beside Allison. The girl sat up, “thank you for the coffee,” she said._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Laura nodded , her gaze focused on a old man helping his wife make her way to a seat across the room._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“We’ve never really talked, have we?” Allison shook her head. “You’re Kate’s niece?” Allison swallowed and nodded._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“She’s still in the facility.” Allison supplied._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Taking the treatment well?”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison shook her head again and the thread was cut off there._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____She was sipping on her coffee when Laura asked, “what are your intentions towards Isaac?” Laura’s voice was hard and cold, a timbre that didn’t match her usual demeanor._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison choked on the coffee and started coughing. The elderly couple looked up, annoyed and Laura gave them a bright and apologetic smile. Allison tried to do the same._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“I’m not Kate, if that’s what you’re worried about,” She managed._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Laura shook her head, “no one is like Kate,” she whispered, “I’m referring to last night.” I know, that you know how Isaac feels about Scott. And last night, that’s only going to confuse him.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison straightened up, her arms crossing over her chest. “Scott, he feels the same, His feelings for Isaac are not all that innocent,” she sighed, “well, they’re still fairly innocent because it’s Scott.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“But you’re Scott’s world,”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison shifted to face Laura, both of their expressions calculating and suspicious, Allison frowned, “Maybe, I want this too. Has anyone given that a thought?” her voice shook and got quiet._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Laura, unable to hold back, smiled, a small smirk quickly unfolding into a wide grin._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Allison flailed at the sudden hug she was pulled into, swaying from side to side as Laura squeezed her tight._ _ _ _

____Allison flailed again when Laura pulled back suddenly, “This will be new to him, and to all three of you. It’s not something that you go into lightly.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Before Allison could respond. she was pulled into another tight hug by Laura, She allowed her arms to fall around Laura and hugged her back. It had been a while since she had hugged anyone who wasn’t Scott or her Dad with such warmth._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____***_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Isaac threw water on his face while he waited for Scott to wash his hands._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“How are you feeling?” Scott asked._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“I don’t even know.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“At least the surgery went well. Now just to wait for him to wake up.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Isaac found himself in the mirror, his hair no longer looked wild, but tame, his lips weren’t swollen, and his eyes looked hazy and dark._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“I haven’t seen or talked to him since...I’m not sure what to do. Or if I should even go in there.” butterflies fluttered in his stomach, turning into hot coals that settled in the pit of his stomach as memories began to flood back._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“hey,” Scott ran his hand down the length of Isaac’s arm, leaving his fingers to linger on Isaac’s hand, “We’re with you, It’s going to be okay.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Isaac nodded, both dread and joy quelling the coals._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Now, let’s go find Allison and Laura and get some food.” they both smiled._ _ _ _


	8. Family Chats

After breakfast, Laura sent Allison and Scott home after having promised to call them if anything happened. 

Allison leaned in to give Isaac a soft peck on the cheek that left him blushing and wide-eyed. Scott hugged him, wrapping his arms both around Isaac and his girlfriend. “Everything’s going to be okay, we’ve got you,” he whispered.

Isaac himself tried to convince Laura to go home and rest but she quickly stared him into submitting that argument.

The waiting room had become livelier since it was later in the morning and the two of them moved to sit outside his dad’s room.

“He should be waking up in a couple of minutes. I’ll go in a check on him and let you know when it’s okay to go in and see him,” the doctor gave Isaac a small smile. 

Being near his father for the first time in years, with his most vivid memories being of himself hurting under the hand of his father, forced to crawl into the freezer, his only solace being that he could finally cry where his father couldn’t see him— Isaac felt like his chest was caving in.

His head throbbed and his stomach twisted into knots. He focused on his breathing with his eyes closed, while Laura petted his hand. He instead began to go over the events of the night prior; Dancing, the kissing, Stiles pulling him away, the silence in the jeep, seeing Laura dressed up...

His eyes opened as he caught Laura’s hand.

“Why were you so dressed up last night?”

Laura rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away from Isaac to ruffle his hair.

“I had a date.”

She rolled her eyes again as his mouth fell open. The surprise on his face twisted into guilt after a moment.

“It’s okay, I’ve been seeing him for a couple of months now. He understands.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

Isaac nodded slowly, his face twitching until he settled on a bright smile, “Month’s then?”

“I didn’t want to tell anyone yet because I wasn’t—am not sure if this is serious.”

Again, Isaac nodded, “except you told every guy that came into the store and asked you out.”

Laura grinned, “I’ll bring him by for Derek to maul one of these days.”

“and who is he?”

She laughed, “That’ll be the surprise,”

Before anyone could say anything else, the doctor walked into the room and they settled into silence while they waited for Mr.Lahey’s check-up to be over.

Eventually the doctor did come back out.

Isaac’s heart dropped when the doctor quietly lowered himself to be at Isaac’s eye level and placed a hand on his shoulder. The image was reminiscent of a young nurse telling him about his mother’s death when he was younger. The doctor gave his shoulder a squeeze that was too tight for it to be comforting.

“When they found your father, a few minutes had passed. We knew there would be damage but we were not sure as to what form and to what extent that damage would be.” The doctor studied Isaac’s face.

Isaac only blinked.

“He has paralysis on the left side of his body. His memory is intact, his, er, personality is all there, you could say, but he has no movement of the left side of his body.” The doctor licked his lips, “It could have been much worse,” he finished.

Stiffly, Isaac nodded once.

“You can go in and see him now if you’d like.”

Laura stood up with the Doctor and they exchanged a quick glance and a nod before the doctor turned around and walked away. The nurse that had been with the doctor did the same.

“Isaac?” Laura’s voice was soft and warmth pooled in his chest at the sound, “Do you want to go in? we don’t—“

Isaac nodded and tried to swallow. 

He clenched and un-clenched his fists twice before following Laura into the room.

Mr.Lahey was sitting on the hospital bed. As they walked in he reached for his glasses and fumbled to put them on with one hand. He looked older, grayer hairs, wrinkles, but his eyes were still rough when Isaac looked into them. 

Nobody smiled. Isaac thought about it for a moment, trying to remember who his father had been before, trying still to be the son his father wanted. 

“Isaac,” his name was slurred but still sounded like a command coming from his father, familiarity washed over Isaac. His body slumped forward his gaze flickering towards the floor.

Laura tensed beside him.

“Dad,” his voice was barely above a whisper.

“And she is?” 

“Laura.”

“She’s a little old for you, isn’t she?”

“I’m his sister.”

Mr. Lahey’s right eye squinted in a glare, his eyebrow lowering and making him look more angry than annoyed. “Isaac doesn’t have any sisters,” 

“The Hales are my family,” as the words left his mouth Isaac straightened up, again looking at his father’s eyes.

Mr.Lahey completed his frown, “You’re a Lahey.”

“He’s also a Hale.” Laura put her arm around Isaac’s shoulders. 

Isaac smiled at Laura, small and quiet.

“You can’t replace his blood! I’m his father.”

Isaac reached for Laura before she could respond, her face was bright red and he shook his head pulling her back.

“Dad, I only came to check on you, Don’t antagonize Laura,” he sighed.

“You turned your back on your family!” he spat.

Isaac shook his head at his father, “You know that’s not true.”

Mr.Lahey blinked at his son and then let out a grunt. With his right hand he waved his son out.

Isaac sighed again, tired and deflated, the events of the past 24 hours finally catching up with him.

“Bye Dad, get better.”

Laura was already outside waiting for him and when his Dad didn’t say anything, Isaac began to walk towards the door as well. As he reached for the handle he stopped and turned to face his dad.

He took a deep breath and said, “Dad, I’m also into guys. I’m Bi.”

He didn’t give his dad a chance to react, instead he just walked out.

Outside Laura gave him an apologetic look and he savored it for a moment because Derek once said that apologies form Laura should be relished because they were rarer than a golden ticket.

“I’d say it went fairly well.” He smiled.

“He just,” she groaned, “makes me so angry!” he lead her through the hospital and out to the car.

“I know, I know,”

They reached the car and Laura slipped into the driver’s seat, “I’m really tired,” he told her.

“I know,” she smiled, “I’ll take you home.”  
Xxx

Scott and Allison were sleeping in his bed when he finally made it to his room.

When Isaac didn’t find the envy that should have been there, he cursed himself as he crawled into the space that had been made for him in between the two of them. Allison squeezed in closer to Isaac and Scott shifted to bury his face in Isaac’s shoulder. Isaac fell asleep fully clothed and wrapped in between their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie Dokes. So after this there will only be one more chapter and the rating with go up because: sex. If you have questions that you want answered now would be the time to let me know because I plan on writing the majority of the epilogue as kind of a stream of events just to see how everyone is doing in the future...if that makes sense.
> 
> anyways, um thanks for reading. I really have no idea what I'm doing and this is my first piece for this fandom and you guys have just been great!
> 
> come hang out with me at bluebell-glow.tumblr.com?? if you want...

**Author's Note:**

> Yo. leave suggestions. I'll take them into account, most likely write them, and stuff. _usually, _update Saturday night/Sunday morning Pacific Time.__


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